Box making machine



May 20, 1941. F. R. NEELY BOX MAKING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1938 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 20, 1941.

F. R. NEELY BOX MAKING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1938 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 L Has/4M Unvenior. Hank Ra -81644285,.-

May 20, 194]. R N Y 2,243,051

BOX MAKING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1958 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 z] rwq/vvM Hunk Rodgers 11 821 May 20, 1941. R NEELY 2,243,051

BOX MAKING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1938 I 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 471 Y Q :5 @1 2 g SUM/WM;

Raul: Rodgers M249- May 20, 1941. F, R NEELY 2,243,051

BOX MAKING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1938 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 ,May 20, 1941. NEELY 2,243,051

BOX MAKING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1938 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 May 20, 1941. F. R. NEELY BOX MAKING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1958 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 May 20, 1941. F. R. NEELY BOX MAKING MACHINE Filed May 20,

1938 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 U 62-20231 MO UZEROE zorzhm a: uzCLum 1823mm 93 zoEhm 02:2:

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Patented May 20, 1941 BOX MAKING monmn Frank Rodgers Neely, Allentown, Pa., assignor to A. H. Balliet Corporation, Allentown, Pa.

Application May 20, 1938, Serial No. 209,114.

42 Claims.

This invention relates, generally, to box-forming machines and, more particularly, to machines for assembling and attaching together a number of blanks or parts which form a box.

It has heretofore been proposed to form boxes, such as cigar boxes, by assembling together various pre-formed blanks or parts. More particularly it has been proposed to form a blank which will provide the bottom and end walls of the box and separately to form the side walls of the box. The successive-steps in'the formation of a box from these parts include the bending of the blank to provide the proper relationship of the bottom and the end walls, and the subsequent attachment to such blank of the side wall members. The attachment of the lid to such a box is a separate operation, forming no part of the invention involved here and may be performed in the manner set forth in my Patent No. 2,110,307.

I am aware that many box-forming machines have heretofore been provided and certain of these machines have been at least partially operable to assemble boxes of the type heretofore described. I am not aware, however, of any machine for completely assembling such boxes and delivering a completed, set-up and nailed box. More specifically, I am not aware of any known machine which will efficiently and rapidly set up, nail and deliver such boxes.

One of the objects which has been realized in making the present invention is that of providing a machine of the character described which will form and set up blanks comprising the bottom and end walls of a box and will deliver these to a point where they will be met by the side walls of the box, all of these being assembled at this point and being temporarily held together on a form, whereby they may be permanently attached together as by nailing. A further realized object is the provision of means for effecting the advancement of these temporarily assembled boxes to successive nailing stations where the various parts are successively attached to other parts of the box to eifect permanent assembly thereof. A further realized object of the invention is the provision of novel and improved means for feeding the side wall members to the point of temporary assembly with the bottom and end wall blanks, this means providing intermittent movements of the side wall members toward the assembly point and alternate but relatively small movements away from that point in order to permit an improved mode of temporary assembly of the various parts. A further realized object has been the provision of novel means for permitting the movement of the temporarily assembled boxes from one nailing position to another, and the provision of means for causing the movement of either the-box-carrying means or the nailing means away from the other in order to permit the free movement of the box-- carrying means from one nailing station to the next. the provision of novel means for removing the completedand assembled boxes from the supporting forms.

Among the primary objects of the invention which I have realized is the provision of new, improved and simplified means for effecting the various steps in the forming, assembly and attachment of the members comprising the box which is produced by the machine which I have provided. I

Other objects and features of novelty will be apparent from the following description and the annexed drawings. It is to be clearly understood that such description and drawings are only illustrative of my invention and impose no limitation on the scope thereof, the appended claims defining the limits of such invention.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar reference numerals refer to like parts,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevational view of a machine formed and operative according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view 'of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1; v

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the blank-forming mechanism forming Part of the machine disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 'is a sectional view, taken on the line 1-4 of Fig. 2, and illustrating more particularly the scoring mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view illustrating more particularly the blank trimming mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the blank at the punching or forming station; v

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the blank at the setting-up station;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of-parts of the mechanism disclosed in Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of part of the blank-feeding mechanism illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view, taken on the line Ill-l ll of Fig. 3 and illustrating more particularly parts of the blank-feeding mechanism;

Fig. 11 is a longitudinal elevational view of a modified form of push-rod to be employed with v the blank-feeding mechanism of Fig. 3;

A still further realized object has been Fig. 12 is a perspective view of part of the mechanism for delivering the side wall members to the assembly point;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the storage means for the side wall members, and the means for moving these members to the guideways;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a part of the side delivery mechanism illustrated in Fig. 12;

Fig. 15 is a plan view showing a preferred form of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 14;

Fig. 16 is a Perspective view showing the means for moving the side forming members along the guideways;

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of the turret and the operating and locking means therefore;

Fig. 18 is an exploded view of one of the turret heads;

Fig. 19 is a perspective view showing mechanism for operating various parts of the machine;

Fig. 20 is a perspective view of the box removing means;

Fig. 21 is a plan view of a part of the box removing means;

Fig. 22 is a diagrammatic view showing the arrangement of operating shafts and other means in the disclosed machine;

Fig. 23 is a diagrammatic representation of the sequence of the operations performed 'by the disclosed machine, and

Fig. 24 is a view showing the preferred means for forming and delivering box blanks to the disclosed machine.

As hereinbefore stated, the machine forming the subject of the present invention is particularly adapted and intended to form, assemble and attach together the various parts of a box. In the embodiment to be described in this application, the machine is particularly intended to perform such operations with respect to a box comprising a unitary blank, which provides the bottom and two double-thickness end walls of the box, and two separate pieces which form the side walls of the box. The complete machine therefore comprises a number of separate mechanisms, each of which performs one of the operations necessary to forming, assembling and attaching these various parts. These various mechanisms, which will be described separately hereinafter, include the following: (1) blank-forming means for delivering, cutting and setting up the bottom and end-forming blanks and delivering these to the assembly point; (2) side wall delivery means, for feeding the side wall forming members to the point of assembly with the blanks; (3) box assembling means, for assembling the various parts of the boxes and temporarily holding these in position on a rotatable support; (4) box positioning and nailing means, for moving the assembled boxes to the successive nailing stations and operating the nailing means, and (5) box removing means, for removing the finished boxes from the rotatable supports.

The sequence of operations of various parts of the machine, and the particular manner in which these co-operate to produce a set-up box is indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 23. In general, it may be stated that the machine provided by this invention comprises a part A, which is particularly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, which receives paper-board strip, cuts this to the proper size of a blank for forming the bottom and end walls of a box, scores this blank at a station B, punches or performs any other necessary shaping operation on the blank at a station C, applies glue to the end walls of the blank at rolls D, sets up the blank at station E, trims the bottom edges of the end walls of the blank at a station F and delivers this set-up blank to an elevator G; A second part H of the machine, which part is illustrated more particularly in Figs. 12 to 15 of the drawings, delivers the side wall forming members to the elevator G where they are temporarily assembled with the aforementioned blanks and delivered to one of the heads of a rotatable turret, which is more particularly illustrated in Fig. 17. This turret, carrying on each of its heads a temporarily assembled box, is caused to rotate to three successive positions I, II and III, which are separated by movements of the turret, at which positions or stations the various parts of the box are successively nailed to other parts by nailing means J. At the last nailing station there is positioned box removing means K, more particularly illustrated in Figs. 20 and 21, which strip the finished 1lioxdfrom the turret head on which it has been In order to explain more clearly the construction and operation of the machine provided by my invention, the various parts, elements and modes of operation thereof will be separately described hereinafter.

Blank-forming means The blank-forming and setting-up means A which are provided by the invention are illustrated particularly in Fig. 3 of the drawings and comprise a table-like structure including the supporting legs I and the top framework 2, this structure being somewhat elongated and having, if desired, at the inlet end thereof a frame 3 for supporting a pile of paperboard strips 4 from which the blanks are formed. At its opposite or delivery end there is provided an elevator mechanism G which receives the set-up blanks from the forming mechanism and delivers these to the assembly point. Between these two stations and positioned successively along the table there are provided the scoring station B, the blank cutting station C, gluing means D, a setting-up station E and a trimming station F, .all to be described more fully hereinafter.

Means are provided by the invention for moving the blanks 4 from the piling frame 3 to the successive stations. Such means comprise two parallel elongated rods 5, 6 which extend longi-' tudinally over the entire length of the blankforming device A, terminating adjacent the elevator G. These rods extend under the pile of strips 4 and are adapted, by their movement, to remove the bottom strip from the pile and advance it, step by step, along the table 2. The rods are arranged on the upper surface of the table and are spaced laterally thereof and are given successive forward, downward, backward and upward movements. In order to provide the backward and forward movement of the rods, these are pivotally connected at their one ends to the opposite ends of a frame I which is connected. through a pivoted link 8, to the upper end of a lever 9 which is pivotally supported at its lower end. This lever is caused to oscillate about its pivotal support by means of the engagement between a pin III, which is carried by the lever, and the track or groove in a barrel cam II, which is carried by a shaft l2 which extends along the entire length of the table I, 2 in order to operate the various mechanisms of the blankforming means. Such oscillating movement of the lever 9 causes a reciprocating movement of the rod and frame assembly, the rods moving longitudinally on the surface of the table. The up and down movements of the rods are elected by means of crank arrangements which are disposed at the opposite ends of the rods and which comprise. at the one ends of the rods, rotatably joumaled shaft it which extends transversely of the table 2 and to the opposite ends of which are connected cranks l4, each of which is connected to one of the rods I, 8 through a connecting rod It. An operating crank it extends downwardly from the center of shaft l3 and at its center portion is connected to one end of a rod ll, the opposite end of which is connected to a shaft and crank assembly I! which is similar in all respects to that Just described, and the crank members of which are respectively connected to the rods 5, 6 adjacent the delivery end of the table. The lower end of the crank it is disposed in the path of a cam surare arranged meansfor scoring the blanks ad jacent the ends of the bottom-forming portion and between the ends of the blank and the ends face lia which is carried on and rotated by the shaft l2. It will be seen that as the shaft l2 rototes the lever s will be oscillated in a direction longitudinal of the table. I, 2 and will cause the rods 5, t to move alternately forward and backward. At the sametime the rotation of shaft l2 will cause the cam surface its to move the crank it alternately backward and forward in a direction longitudinal of the table I, 2, thereby causing oscillation of the shaft l3 and of the similar shaft of the assembly I8, which oscillation, through the medium of the cranks l4 and arms It, causes the upward and'downward movement of the rods 4, 4.

Attached to the upper surfaces of each of the rods 5, 6 are a plurality of brackets I! each having an upwardly extending portion. These brackets are arranged in pairs disposed oppositely of each other on the rods Ii, 6 and the pairs are spaced longitudinally of the rods by equal distances which are approximately equal to the width of one of the blanks 4. In the operation of the blank feeding means it will be seen that as the rods 5, 6 reach their upper and rear position, one of the pairs of brackets will engage the lowermost blank of the pile 4, and that the succeeding forward movement of the rods will move this blank out of the pile and forwardlyto the first station. At the same time each of the pairs of brackets will move one of the blanks along the table 2 from one station to the next. The downward movement of the rods will serve to release the brackets from the blanks engaged thereby and the rearward and upward movements of the rods will serve to position the brackets toengage the next succeeding blank. In this manner the blanks are moved from one station to the next succeeding station.

Instead of causing the rods 5,8 to follow the described-movement, the-same result may be achieved by merely reciprocating the rods in forward and backward directions and resiliently mounting the brackets IS in recesses in the upper surfaces of the rods in order to permit the necessary, unobstructed rearward movement of the rods. One of such rods is illustrated in Fig. 11, in which the resilient mounting of the latch members Isa is illustrated. It will be apparent that if this mode of operation is adopted only forward and backward movement of the rods 5, 6 need be provided for and means for causing up and down movement of the rods may be dispensed with. 7

At the first station B to which the blanks are carried after being moved from the pile 4 there rules being so positioned as to engage the blank at the opposite ends of the bottom-forming portion thereof. Pressure is exerted'on" the upper surface of the blank; when it is in position above the cutting rules, to effect the scoring operation, the means for exerting this pressure comprising a yerticallyfl-movable head 24, which is slidably positioned in a frame 26, and which carries vertical arms 28 at the outer ends thereof, each of which engages an eccentric 21 at its lower end. The eccentrics 21 are carried at the extremities of a shaft 28, one end of which is connected through a clutch 29 to a flywheel 30 which is constantly rotated by a motor 3|. The clutch 29 is so operated that the rotary motion of the flywheel is imparted to the shaft 28 only when a blank is properly positioned upon the cutting rules 22. The head 24, in addition to providing the pressure necessary to cause scoring by the cutting rules 22, carries spaced cutting rules 32 which are brought into engagement with the upper surface of the blank on the downward movement of the head in order to'score the upper surface of the blank along the lines 2|, about which score lines the outer end forming members of the blank may be bent downwardly from the upper edges of the inner end forming members as illustrated in Fig. '7. It will be seen that the intermittent rotation of the shaft 28 caused by its periodic connection to flywheel 30 will cause movement of the head 24 in such a manner that on its downward movement the blank will be scored on its opposite faces along the lines 20, 2|.

At the next station, 0, to which the blanks are moved they may be operated upon by punching or cutting means in order to form apertures 32 in the inner end walls, as illustrated in Fig. 6. This operation may be dispensed with unless a box of the type disclosed in my Patent No. 2,074,315 is to be provided. Any desired punching or cutting means may be provided for the operation performed at this station and these means may be operated by eccentric drive means similar to those illustrated in Fig. 4 and described hereinbefore in connection with the scoring mechanism. These punching means are generally illustrated at station C in Fig. 2 and need not be further described.

As the blank is moved from the scoring or punching station C to the setting-up station E, it passes through two idle stations, between which are arranged means indicated at D for applying glue to the outer faces of the two inner end wall forming members and to the inner faces of the two outer end wall forming members. All of these faces lie in the lower surface of the blank and accordingly glue is applied only to the lower faces'of the end-wall forming portions 4a and 4b of the blank. The glue is so applied by gluing roller assemblies, one of which is disposed at each lateral side of the table, between the two idle stations referred to. Each of these assemblies comprises a .vertical series of three horizontally arranged rollers, the two lower rollers 33 of the two assemblies being carried by a transverse shaft 34 which is rotated, through suitable driving connections 35, by a motor or other suitable means. Each of the lowermost rollers 33 rotates in a glue pot which is mounted beneath the table. The intermediate or gluing rollers 36 are driven by gearing from the shaft 34 and are not directly connected together, each of those rollers being in engagement with the adjacent roller 33. The uppermost rollers 31 are mounted on a shaft 38 and are so positioned as to engage the upper surface of a blank passing between rollers 36 and 31 in order to force the blank into engagement with the gluing roller 36. Only the end-forming portions of the blank pass between the rollers 36, 31 and glue is suitably applied to the lower faces thereof by the rollers 36, it being noted that it is necessary to apply glue only to these lower faces in order to properly set up the end wall forming portions of the blank.

At the next station, E, to which the blank is at each side of the table, a setting-up head 4|,

each of these comprising a vertical plate and a horizontal plate. These heads are adapted to be moved laterally of the table 2 in order to exert pressure on the blank at the setting-up station in order to fold the end wall forming members about the score lines. This movement is caused by the operation of levers 42, which are pivoted between their ends, and the upper ends of which are connected, respectively, to the two heads 4|, while the lower ends of the two levers engage a rotatable cam surface 43 which is carried by shaft l2, the cam surface being so shaped that the upper ends of levers 42 and the attached pusher heads 4| are caused to move inwardly and outwardly across the table 2. It will be seen that when a blank arrives at the setting-up station E the pressure of the pusher heads 4| on the opposite ends thereof will cause the inner end-forming members 4b to be turned upwardly at right angles from the bottom portion 40, which rests on the plate 48, at the same time turning the outer end-forming portions 4a downwardly about the score lines between such portions and the inner end wall members. The pressure of the pushers 4| toward each other will be sufficient to press the glued surfaces of the inner and outer wall forming members firmly together, thereby securely attaching these together and in set up position. Parallel bars 44 are arranged adjacent the inner positions of the pusher heads and provide backings or supports against which the end-forming members of the box are pressed in the setting-up operation these bars being illustrated in Figs. 2, 7 and 8. Rollers or other similar means may be provided adjacent the inlet end of the setting-up station, these being operative to give the blank an initial set or fold in order to insure that the parts of the blank will be properly bent' by the setting up means.

It will be seen that after the end-forming members of the blank have been set up, the immediate withdrawal of the heads 4| might result in the separation of the glued and set up ends of the box or the deformation of the ends from their vertical positions before the position ing of the blanks between the supporting devices 48 at .the next succeeding station F could be achieved. In order to prevent this I have provided means for moving the set-up blank from its position between the heads 4| to a position in which it is disposed at least partially between the fixed supporting heads 46 at the station F, this means operating to so position the blank before the withdrawal of the heads 4|. By reason of this feature the end walls of the blank are continually su rted in set-up position, thus preventing their de ormation or separation. It will be apparent that the usual blank-moving rods 5,6 cannot perform this operation quickly enough. The means provided for effecting the stated operation are illustrated in Figs. 3, 8, 9 and 10 and comprise a pair of rods 41, one of these being arranged adjacent each of the movable rods 5, 6 and each having a head 48 formed at one end thereof. Carried by rod 6 and arranged on opposite sides of the head 48 are two abutments 43 and 58 these being arranged to engage the head 48 during portions of the forward and rearward movements of the rods 5, 6 to thereby cause intermittent movements of the rod 41 in opposite directions. The end of rod 41 opposite from that having the head 48 thereon is connected to a rack 5| which is slidably mounted on the table 2 beneath plate 40. A pinion 52 is rotatably journaled in the side of plate 43 above the rack 6| and the teeth of the pinion engage those of the rack. Slidably mounted in the side of plate 40 and above the pinion 52 is a member 53, the lower surface of which is provided with teeth which engage with those of the pinion 52, and the upper surface of which coincides substantially with that of the plate 40 and is provided with a tooth or latch 54 which has a vertical forward face and an inclined rear face and which is depressible into an aperture in the member 53 but is normally maintained in elevated position by resilient means.

-In the operation of the described device, if it is assumed that a blank is positioned on plate 40 and that the setting-up heads 4| have just completed their inward or setting-up movements, the adjustment of the mechanism is such that the rods 5, 6 will be nearing the completion of their rearward movement, i. e. their movement away from the setting-up station. At this time the abutment will engage the head 48 on rod 41, moving the rod and the attached rack 5| in the same direction as the rods 5, 6. Such movement of the rack will be transmitted through pinion 52 to the member 53 causing a movement thereof in a direction opposite to that of rods 5, 6. It will thus be seen that before the rods 5, 6 have moved to their rearmost position the member 63 will have been moved a short distance in the opposite direction. During such movement the tooth 54 will engage the set-up blank and move this for a sufilcient distance between the fixed heads 46 at the next station to insure that the end wall members of the blank will be held in set-up position. The further movement of the blank to its position entirely between the devices 46 will be effected by the usual operation of the rods 5, 6 and the brackets |8 carried thereby, although it will be apparent that, if desired, the entire movement of the blank may be effected by the operation of the member 53, and that such operation may be caused by suitable positioning of the abutments 48, 50 with respect to the head 48 on .rod 41.

when the rods I, I move toward the plate ll in their forward movement, the operation of the rack and pinion will be such as to cause the member 53 to move in the opposite direction toward the setting-up station to a position where the latch 54 will engage the next blank which has been brought to the setting-up station. During this rearward movement the member I! will pass beneath the bottom portion of the said next succeeding blank, thereby causing the tooth N to be depressed into the member 53 during such rearward movement.

In the foregoing description of the construction and operation of the means for moving the blank from the setting-up station to the trimming station, only one of the assemblies which co-operate to effect such movement has been .described. Two such assemblies are preferably provided, however, one of these being arranged adJacent each of the rods 5, i, as illustrated in Figs 3 and 8.

At the next station, F, to which the blank is moved there is provided means for trimming the lower ends of the outer end wall forming members to cause these to terminate in the plane of the lower surface of the bottom-forming portion of the blank. These means are clearly illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5 and comprise two fixed backing or end-supporting devices 48, one of these being disposed at each side of the table, and each of these having a vertically arranged inner face and a horizontal portion which is attached to the table. The inner face of each of these devices is stepped, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5, providing in each device an upper recess OI within which is received an elongated steel insert ii, the lower edge of which is preferably flush with the upper edge of the lower recess 62, while the inner face of each insert member is substantially flush with the inner vertical surface of the upper portion of the supporting device 48. Arranged between the two supporting devices are two horizontally-disposed knives 63, the upper surfaces and cutting edges of which are so disposed that they lie in face-to-face engagement with the lower surface of the bottom portion 40 of a blank which is positioned between the supporting devices 48. The knives are movable from their inner, inoperative positions across the bottom of the box to cut off the lower ends of the outer wall-forming members, and this movement is effected by means of levers N which are pivoted between their ends and the upper ends of which are pivotally connected -to the knives 83, while the lower ends of which engage the surface of a rotatable cam 65 which is carried by shaft i2. In the operation at this station, a blank is moved between the supporting devices 46 in the manner hereinbefore described and at this time the rotation of cam causes the levers 64 to rock, moving the two knives outwardly across the lower ends of the outer end wall forming members, thereby trimming these to coincide with the plane of the lower surface of the bottom-forming portion of the blank. On

its cutting stroke, as described, the knives moveinto the lower recess 62 in the supports 8, and co-operate with the lower edges of the steel inserts Si in effecting the cutting operation.

' the elevator to the assembly point. In order to move the blank from its position at the trimming station onto the elevator a pusher device I. is provided. This device is clearly illustrated in Figs. 3 and 8 and comprises an elongatedrod I. connected to and lying between the push rods 8, I and having a cross-head II at the end thereof which is movable from a position adjacent the delivery end of the fixed plate ill to a position adjacent the elevator G. The cross-head ll' lies'in the plane of the bottom portion of the set-up blanks and it will be seen that the reciprocating movement thereof caused by the connection to the reciprocating rods I, 6 will cause the movement of the set-up blanks from their position at the trimming station to the elevator G.

The elevator G comprises a platform I! on which the set-up blank is received, and which is supported on the upper end of a rod 18, the lower end of which engages the track of a cam I! which is carried on and rotated by the shaft II. The construction of the cam I1 and the'proportioning of the length of the rod II are such that the upward movement of the elevator is just sufficient to deposit the set-up blank in engaging and fitting relation about one of the turret heads on which the box-forming members are assembled, all in a manner to be explained hereinafter,

It will be apparent that proper proportioning of the driving, gearing and lever means disclosed is made in order to insure the correct timing of the various operations just described.

As illustrated in Fig. 2, pre-formed blanks are delivered from a frame 3 at the inlet end of the blank-forming table to the scoring and other blank-forming means. In the preferred form of my invention, however, the blanks are delivered to the scoring and other setth -up and forming mechanism directly from an assembly which forms the blanks from continuous fiberboard sheets, thereby eliminating the storage at frame 3 which is required when the structure illustrated in Fig. 2 is employed. Such a preferred arrangement is provided by the invention and is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 24 ofv the drawings. As illustrated in such figure, fiberboard strip and lining material are delivered from rolls I0 and 8!, respectively to a series of pressure rollers 82 which are resiliently pressed together, the lining material passing over a gluing roller assembly 83 and being united to the paper-.

board, by gluing, by the pressure rollers. In the preferred form of this part of my invention an outer covering of paper or other material is delivered from a roll 84, passed over gluing rolls 85, then passed around a guide roll 86 and thence to the pressure roller assembly 82, where it is attached, by gluing, to the outer face of the paperboard. It will be apparent that the guide roller 86 has the function of inverting the glued strip of paper wrap in order that it may be applied in proper relation to the outside of the paperboard strip. At the outlet end of the pres- .means 81 which operate to cut the paperboard strip into blanks which are of proper length by reason of the width of the paperboard strip and are of proper width by reason of the operation of the cutting means 81. These blanks may be delivered directly to the scoring station B and it will be seen that the frame 3 and other storage means may be dispensed with.

Side feeding means The means provided by the invention for forming the blank which provides the bottom and end wall portions of the box, and the means for delivering this blank to the turret head on which the box forming members are assembled, have been fully described herelnbefore. Means are also provided by the invention for feeding the side members, which with the bottom and end-forming blank make up the box, to the turret head where the side members meet the aforesaid blank and are temporarily assembled therewith on the turret head. Such means are indicated generally in the drawings by letter H and are more particularly illustrated in Figs. 12 to 16 of the drawings.

As stated hereinbefore, the box which the present machine is particularly intended to form comprises a one-piece blank providing the bottom and end forming walls and two sidewalls which extend between the end walls. The side walls must be progressively fed to the set-up blanks on the elevator G in order that all of the various elements of the box may be temporarily assembled on the turret head. These sides are preferably supplied to the assembly point in vertical position, 1. e. ready for assembly with the blank.

The means provided for feeding the side members comprise two guideways 90, 9| which are spaced apart by a distance equal to the width of the. box and which extend from storage piles which are arranged at the inlet ends of the guides and which terminate at their delivery ends at the point where the assembly of the various box members is to take place. Each of these guideways is preferably formed of two elongated, vertically extending plates which are spaced apart to define a channel which has a width approximately equal to the thickness of one of the side walls. In order to adequately space the piles of side members from the assembly point these guideways are made of considerable length, and there is, therefore, a continuous row of side walls in each guide. At. the storage point the side walls are kept in piles, being retained in place by frames or keepers 92, as illustrated in Fig. 13. For convenience, the side walls are piled flat, i. e. one upon the other and each in horizontal position as shown. There is provided one such pile adjacent the outer side of the inlet end of each of the guideways.

Means are provided by the invention for successively moving the side members from the storage piles into the adjacent guideways, turning them into vertical position in the guideways and causing them to move along the guideways. The means for moving the piled side members from the piles are illustrated in Fig. 13 and comprise two horizontally arranged slides 99, 94 which are arranged in guides at the lower portions of the supporting frames 92 and which are disposed in the same horizontal plane as the lowermost side members in the frames. The slide 94 is caused to move toward and away from the adjacent guideway Si by means of a lever 95 which is connected at its upper end to the slide 94 through a link member and at its lower end is connected to a lever 95 through a connecting rod 91. The lever 96 is pivotally supported at its lower end and above such pivotal support the lever engages, by means of a pin carried thereby, the track of a barrel cam 99 which is carried by an operating shaft I00. The slide 93 operates to successively move the lowermost side wall of the opposite pile toward the adjacent guideway 99 and, if desired and as illustrated, this slide may be directly connected to and operated by the lever 96. It will be apparent that the operation will be such that the two slides will first be simultaneously moved away from the guides 90, 9| and the frames 92, thereby permitting the piles of side members to drop, and will then be simultaneously moved toward each other and toward the piles of side members, pushing the lowermost side member of each pile toward and into the adjacent guideway, such movements of the slides being effected by the oscillating movement of lever 99.

The means provided by the invention for causing the side members, when pushed out of the pile, to enter the guideways and then to be raised to a vertical position are clearly illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13 of the drawings. It will be seen that opposite each of the frames 92 the outer side wall of the associated guideway is separated from the remainder of such wall and is hinged about its lower edge, whereby it may be moved from a horizontal position, in which it provides a surface over which the side member may be moved from the pile to the guideway, to a vertical position in which it will constitute a part and continuation of the vertical wall of the guideway. These gates or flaps are illustrated at MI in the drawings and it will be seen that they are of such length as to permit a side member to be freely moved into the guideway when they are in their lowered or horizontal position. The means provided for operating the gates IOI comprises a T-shaped operating member I02 the opposite ends of the cross-head of which are respectively connected to the flaps IN, IN by links I03. The vertical shank of the operator I02 is slidably received in a vertical guide I04 and is reciprocated therein by means of its connection to the end of a lever I05, the other end of which is pivotally supported at I09, while the center portion thereof engages the track of a rotatable cam I0! carried by shaft I00.

The construction and operation of the earns 98 and I01 is such that as the slides 93, 94 move inwardly toward the guideways 90, 9|, the gates IOI will be moved to horizontal position, whereby the lowermost side members in the piles will be moved across the horizontal flaps and into the guideways. The subsequent movements of the gates to their normal vertical positions will cause the side members just introduced into the guideways to be raised into vertical positions standing on their longitudinal side edges, in which position they may be moved along the guideways.

Means are provided by the invention for moving the side wall members in the guideways toward the point of assembly with the blank which has been formed and delivered in the manner described hereinbefore. Such means are illustrated in Figs. 2, 12 and 16 and comprise a T-shaped pusher member H0, to the opposite ends of the cross-head of which are attached depending arms I II, the lower ends of which are disposed, respectively, in the guideways 90, 9 I. The pusher member H0 is caused to reciprocate longitudinally of the guideways and, in order to effect this movement, is mounted on a head I I2 which is provided with flanges I I3 extending from the lateral sides thereof and slidably mounted in ways I I4, which are illustrated in Fig. 2. The bottom of the head I I2 is pivotally connected to the end of one arm I I5 of a horizontal lever which is pivoted about a vertical axis H6. The second arm I" of the lever is connected by means of an adjustable link I I8 to the upper end of a lever I I9, the lower end of which is pivotally supported. Between its extremities the lever Il9 engages the track of a rotatable barrel cam I I9a which causes the lever to oscillate about its pivotal support. It will be apparent that the oscillation of the lever I I! will be transmitted through lever I I5, I I6 to the head H2 and'to the pusher head H0, the relative lengths of the lever arms 5, H6 being so adjusted as to cause the head III) to move substantially in a straight line. The parts are so adjusted that the stroke of the pusher head III! will be approximately equal to the length of one of the side wall members, thus moving the side members the proper distance along the guideways on each forward movement of the pusher head. As illustrated in Figs. 12 and 16, one of the depending arms III may be'adjustably connected to the pusher member H in order to vary the separation between the depending arms, thereby permitting the accommodation of the pusher head to guideways separated by any desired or necessary distance.

At the delivery ends of the two guideways 90, M

the inner walls thereof are removed, as at I20, in

order to permit the elevatorG to rise therebetween and in order to permit the side wall members to be removed from the guideways to the elevator. At this point the set-up blank which is carried by the elevator is brought into position between the two side walls which have been delivered along the guideways, and it will be seen that in order to permit the blank and side walls to be properly positioned with respect toeach other the inner side walls and the bottoms of the two guideways must be cut away as stated. It

Means are also provided by the invention for holding the side wall members in vertical position on the edges of the plates I2I during the short space of time after the side wall members leave the guideways and before they are engaged and supported by the turret head. Such means comprise connections from a vacuum source to apertures in the single wall'of each of the guideways adjacent the part I23 where the inner walls and bottoms of the guideways have been removed, the vacuum thus created over the inner face of this wall being operative to hold the side wall members in vertical position, and being relieved .upon movement of the elevator to a proper height to permit the side wall members to be attached tothe turret head.

I have found that it is necessary to provide means for preventing any of the side wall members except those actually being assembled from extending into the cut-away portions at the de-' livery ends of the guideways and in order to effect this I have provided the means disclosed in Figs. 12, 14 and 15 of the drawings. The means disclosed in Figs. 12 and 14 comprise a lever I30 will accordingly be apparent that some means side wall of one of the guideways. Each of these plates is arranged in horizontal position outside of one-of the guideways and is supported at its outer longitudinal edge on a frame I23, to the ends of which, and extending from the frame in the same direction as plate I2I, are attached two pins I24. Springs I25 connect each frame. I23 to the wall of the adjacent guideway and constantly urge the connected rod, plate and pin assembly to such a position that the inner longitudinal edges of the plates extend through the slots I22 in the guideways and form extensions of the bottoms thereof. In this position the pins I24 extend through apertures I26 in the walls of the guideways and into the paths of curved cam members I21 which are carried on. the upper surface of the elevator G. The adjustment of the parts is such that when one of the side wall members is moved into the assembly position at the end'of the guideway in which it has been moved from the storage pile, the elevator will be at its lowered position and the springs I25 will therefore urge the plate I2I through the slot I22 which is pivoted at its center adjacent one wall of the guideway and one end of which is pointed and extends through an aperture I3I in such wall and into sliding contact with the line of side walls in the guideway. The outer end of the arm or lever is connected by a spring I32 to the side wall of the guideway. The arm is biased in such a wayand the strength of the spring is so adjusted that as the side wall members in the guideway are moved toward the assembly point the force of the spring is overcome and the pointed end of the arm drags over the side wall members. When the pushing force exerted by pushing device I I0 is relieved, however, the strength of the spring causes the point of the arm to engage the adjacent side wall member and move the entire line of side wall members away from the assembly point for a short distance.

An alternative form of device for causing the described reverse movement of the side members is illustrated in Fig. 15 of the drawings and comprises a rod I35 which is pivoted at its one end to the side wall of the associated guideway, such as 90, and is pivotally connected at its other end to the movable plate I2I which is slidably mounted at the end of such guideway in the manner hereinbefore described, the connection between .the plate and the rod being made by means of a pin I36 which is carried by the plate and which extends through an elongated aperture in the rod. Mounted on the rod I35, and disposed between the ends thereof, there is a toothed wheel I31, the same being connected to its axle through a spring or otherresilient means whereby the wheel may be rotated in one direction against the force of the spring and will be rotated in the opposite direction by the unwinding of the spring. The toothed periphery of the wheel extends at one point through an aperture in the outer side wall of the guideway and into engagement with the side members therein. In the operation of this device, the movement of the line of side members toward the assembly point will cause the wheel I31 to be rotated against the force of the spring. When the movement of the line of side members is stopped the spring will tend to unwind, thereby rotating the wheel in such a direction as to cause the line of side members to move away from the assembly point for a short distance, thereby moving the last side member away from the aperture I23 at the end of the guideway. It will be apparent that, in order to achieve the desired result, it will be necessary to cause the toothed wheel to act upon the last side wall member within the guideway, and that one of the described assemblies must be provided for each guideway. It will also be seen that when the plate I2I is moved away from the guideway by the upward movement of the elevator, in the manner fully described hereinbefore, the wheel I31 will be moved out of any engagement with the line of side members and will therefore be retated by the unwinding of the spring to p051. tion of rest. By reason of this feature, the winding of the spring by each forward movement of the line of side members is permitted while at the same time any possibility of overwinding the sprin is precluded.

Boa: assembling means As has heretofore been pointed out, the set-up blanks comprising the bottom and end wall portions of the box are delivered by the blank forming mechanism to the elevator G and are raised by this elevator to a position between the guideways 90, 9|. At this position or station the two side walls delivered by the guideways in the manner described are positioned within along the longitudinal sides of the blank in the positions which they will occupy when permanently attached to the blank.

Means are provided by the invention for holding the blank and side walls in this position and for moving them, while so held, into successive positions where they may be nailed together. Such means, which are illustrated clearly in Figs. 1, 2, 17 and 18, comprise a rotatable assembly which is preferably of cruciform shape and which comprises four arms I40 which are carried by a rotatable shaft HI and which extend radially therefrom at preferably 90 intervals. At the extremity of each of these arms there is provided a head, which is particularly illustrated in Figs. 1'7 and 18, and which provides a support on which the blank and side walls may be positioned or held, whereby they may be moved to the successive nailing stations by the rotatable turret.

Each turret head comprises a hollow box-like member I42 which is preferably heavy and rigid in construction, having a bottom portion I43 which isattached in any suitable manner to the extremity of one of the arms I40 and through which there is formed an opening I44 for a purpose to be explained hereinafter. At each end of this box-like head, and extending across the outer faces of the end walls thereof, there is provided a resilient strap I45, the free end of which is turned upwardly or away from the end wall of the head in order to facilitate the introduction of the end walls of the blank between the strap and the end wall of the head, each of these straps being connected to the turret head in any suitable manner. It will be apparent that the blank may be attached to the turret head by sliding the end walls thereof between the straps I45 and the end walls of the head.

Extending across the inner or bottom wall of the turret head at either end thereof are two supporting members or bars I40, each of which is bifurcated at its ends to permit the positioning and pivotal support of right-angled levers I", one of these being pivoted adjacent each end of each of the bars I40. One arm of each of the levers l4'l extends across the face of one of the side walls of the turret head while the other arm of each lever extends partially across the bottom wall of the head within the bifurcation of one of the bars I46, where a spring is positioned which constantly urges the side arm of the lever into engagement'with the side wall of the turret head. It will be seen that the side wall members of the box will be held securely in position adjacent the sides of the turret head, and in proper position with respect to the end walls and bottom portion of the blank, by their positioning between the side walls of the head and the arms of levers I41.

If desired, other suitable means may be employed for holding the box-forming parts on the turret heads. For example, the interior of each of the heads may be connected to a source of vacuum which may be transmitted through openings in the sides of the turret head to the inner faces of the box-forming parts, thereby holding these in assembled position in the head. The means for assembling the parts of the box will now be clear. As the set-up blank is delivered to the elevator G the two side members will be moved onto the plates III at the ends of the guideways, and will thus be aligned with and just above the spaces between the end walls of the blank, which at this time is on the elevator device. At this time the turet will have been moved to such a position that one of the turret heads I42 will be positioned directly above the elevator, as illustrated in Fig. 1'7, and will be aligned vertically above the blank on the elevator. By proper operation of the mechanism, the elevator will now be moved upwardly by the cam I1 and, as it moves upwardly, the cam surfaces I2'I on the elevator will move the pins I24 in such a manner as to remove the plates IZI from under the side wall members. These side wall members will accordingly be picked up by the elevator in its upward movement and will rest thereon in proper relation to the blank. At the same time the turret head I42 which is at the assembly station will be encountered and the end walls of the blank will pass between the end walls of the head and the resilient straps I45, while the two side wall members will pass between the arms of levers I41 and the side walls of the turret head. In this manner all of the various, unattached box-forming members will be held in properly assembled position and relation on the turret head.

Box positioning means It will be seen that the various parts of the box, which are now assembled on the turret head, must be permanently attached together and that in order to eifect this each of the end walls of the blank must be attached to the two side walls and the bottom portion of the blank must also be attached to the side walls. Accordingly, the

assembled box is moved to three nailing stations which are denoted I, II and III. At station I, one end wall of the blank is attached to the ends of both side wall members, at station II the bottom portion of the blank is attached to both of the side wall members, and at station III the unattached end wall of the blank is attached to the ends of both of the side wall members. It will be seen that, for a box'which is a rectangular parallelopiped, the movement of the box to three positions spaced apart on the circumference of a circle will cause end, bottom and end portions of the blank to be successively presented in horizontal positions whereby nailing mechanism positioned above the respective station may be operated to attach the presented portion of the blank to the side wall members.

Means are provided by the invention for cause ing the rotation of the turret in such a way that it moves through successive 90 arcs, being stopped between each movement for sufficient time to permit the nailing operation. Such means are clearly illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 17 of the drawings and comprise a. disk or plate I50 which is freely and rotatably mounted on the shaft HI and pivotally and eccentrically mounted on one face of which is a pawl II, the free end of which is resiliently urged into engagement with the peripheral surface of a second disk I52 which is mounted on and rigidly connected to the shaft MI and in which peripheral surface there are formed four slots I53, these being equally spaced about the circumference of the disk I22 and being each of such a size as to just permit the entry therein of the end of the pawl I5I. Pivotally and eccentrically connected to the outer face of the disk I50 is one end of a pitman rod I54, the other end of which is pivotally and eccentrically connected to the face of a disk I55 which is mounted on and rotated by shaft I00. Mounted in general parallelism to the pitman I54 is a second pitman rod I56. One end of this rod is provided with an enlarged head I51 having an open-ended slot I58 therein which is normally aligned with and adapted to receive a pin I59 which is mounted on the back of the pawl I5I. The other end of the rod I56 is connected to one end of a lever of the first class I69, the other end of which is disposed within the path of a pin I60a which is eccentrically carried by the disk I55.

In the operation of the described apparatus, rotation of disk I55 will cause a reciprocatory movement of the pitman I54 which will, when the movement thereof is toward shaft I4I, cause rotation of disk I50 and pawl I5I in such a direction as to cause the end of the pawl to enter one of the slots in the disk I52, thereby rotating the disk and the attached shaft I H through a 90 movement. This movement of the pawl I5I, disk I52 and shaft I M will cause the pin I59 to engage the closed end of slot I58 in the head I51 of rod I56, thereby causing this rod to move with the shaft and to thereby rotate the lever I 69 tn a position within the path of pin I60a.

When the shaft I has been rotated to its proper position by the described means the disk I55 will be in such a position that continued rotation thereof will cause movement of rod I 54 in a direction away from shaft I4I, thereby tending to move the disk I50 and pawl I5I back to their original positions. This movement would be resisted bythe engagement of the pawl I5I in the slot in disk I52 unless some means were provided for releasing these parts. Such means are provided, and it will be seen that at the time that the rod I54 begins its aforesaid movement away from shaft I4I, the pin I60a will engage the end of lever I 69 and will move this lever about its fulcrum, thereby pulling rod I56 in a direction away from shaft I. This movement of rod I56 will cause the closed end of the slot I58 to engage the pin I59, thereby rotating the pawl upwardly and moving the end thereof out of the aperture in disk I52. The disk I50 and pawl I5I are now moved back to their original positions by the reciprocatory movement of rod I54, thereby returning the parts to a position in which they are properly arranged to again effect a 90 movement of the shaft HI and the attached turret. It will be seen that the shaft I and the turret attached thereto will be given successive rotary movements of 90", each of which will cause the turret to move from one nailing position to the next. These movements will be separated by short intervals of time during which the parts are moved back to their original positions and during which intervals the nailing operations are performed.

Means are provided for locking the turret in each nailing position and for releasing such looking means when the nailing operation has been completed and the pawl and ratchet mechanism is in position to move the shaft MI and turret to the next nailing position. Such locking means are required in order to provide sufficient stability and rigidity to the turret to permit the nailing operations to be performed thereon and also to provide complete uniformity in the stopping position of the turret head. Such locking means are illustrated in Figs. 2, 17 and 19 and comprise a locking rod I60 which is movable at right angles to the plane of the turret and is so positioned that when the turret is in one of the nailing positions the rod may be extended through a port I6I in that one of the arms I40 which is adjacent the locking rod at that time. The locking rod is slidably mounted in a guide I62 which is mounted at one side of the turret and the rod is connected to one arm of a lever of the first class I63, the other arm of which is connected to the upper end of a link rod I64; the lower end of which is connected to one end of a lever I65 which is pivotally connected at its other end to a support I66. Between its ends the lever I65 engages the track of a rotatable cam I61 which is carried by shaft I68. It will be seen that vertical reciprocating movement of the lever I65 will be transmitted through lever I63 to rod I60 and will cause' this rod to reciprocate toward and away from the turret. By proper proportioning and timing of the parts the rod I60 is caused to enter the opening I6I in one of the arms I40 when rotation of the turret head is stopped, thereby rigidly holding the entire turret in the nailing position and providing a solid support therefor which is necessary for the nailing operations.

- Nailing means As stated hereinbefore, the assembled box is moved to three separate stations where the various parts of the box are nailed together. It will be seen that when the machine is in full operation nailing operations will be taking place at all three stations simultaneously, and at the fourth or assembly station the members of a fourth box will be in the process of assembly on one of the heads.

In order to effect nailing at all three stations simultaneously I employ three separate nailing devices I10, "I and I12, these being positioned adjacent and above the three nailing stations I, II and III respectively. These nailing devices are of conventional structure, comprising the nail reservoirs I13 from which flexible tubes I14 lead to the proper nailing points, it being noted that, in the form of machine illustrated, four nailing tubes lead to each of the stations I10,

I12, at which the ends of the box are attached to the side members, while two nailing tubes lead to the station I1I, at which the bottom is attached to the sides. As is well known, one nailing tube must be provided for each nail, and any desired number of nails may be used in any operation, it being required only that a corresponding number of tubes be employed. The nailing mechanism is constantly driven from a shaft I15 which carries three pulleys I18 which drive belts I11 which are connected to the three nailing mechanisms. The nailing mechanisms are actuated in proper sequence by three cams I18 which are carried by shaft I88 and against which bear the free ends of arms I88, I8I, I82 of three levers, the other ends of which are operatively connected to three rods I83 each of which operates a clutch which controls the operation of one of the nailing devices. It will be seen that the cams I18 may properly set to cause operation of the nailing mechanisms in the proper sequence. All of the nailing structure described is wellknown in the art and forms no part of my invention.

It will be seen that the nailing heads I84, I88,

, I88, which are mounted at the lower ends of the tubes I14 and within which the nail-driving rods I81 operate must bear on the box parts and. turtet heads in efiecting the nailing operation, and in such position will prevent the rotation of the turret which is necessary in order to move the turret heads from one nailing station to another.

I have therefore provided means for moving the nailing heads out of the path of the turret heads after the nailing operation is completed and for moving them back into nailing position after the turret has rotated through the required 90 arc. Such means are particularly disclosed in Figs. 1 and 19 and, referring to these figures, it will be seen that the nailing heads I84, the flexible tubes I14 leading thereto and the nail driving rods I81 are caused to reciprocate from an inoperative position in which they are removed from the path of the rotating turret heads to an operative position in which they are in nailing position above the turret heads at the nailing stations.

At nailing station I, these movable members are all connected together and are mounted on a slide I88 which is mounted for reciprocatory movement on a fixed guide I8I. The guide IN and the slide I88 carried thereby are so arranged that the slide and the parts of the nailing ,mechanism carried thereby may be moved horizontally from a position in which the nailing parts are disposed above and in nailing relation to a box and turret head at station I to a position in which the nailing parts are removed from such position. A similar arrangement is provided at station III, at which the nailing parts are carried by a slide I82 which is mounted for horizontal movement on a guide I88. No such means is required at station 11, as it will be apparent that the nailing apparatus at that station will not interfere in any way with the movement of the nailin heads.

The described movements of the slidable members I88, I82 are eflected by means of levers I88, I88 which are pivotally mounted adjacent the nailing heads I and III, respectively. One arm of lever I88 is pivotally connected to slidable head I88 while the other arm thereof is connected by a rod I81 to one end of a lever I88, the other end of which is pivotally supported. Between its ends the lever I88 engages the track of a rotatable cam I88 carried by shaft 288, which may be connected 'by gearing to be driven fromshaft I88, and the rotation of which cam causm the vertical reciprocation of the lever I88 and rod I81, thereby causing lever I88 to rock about its pivotal support, whereby the slidable member I88 and the nailing parts .carried thereby are moved into and out of nailing position. The slidable member I82 and the associated nailing parts are caused to move in the same manner by similar mechanism, including the lever I88, rod 28I, lever 282 and cam 288 which is rotatably carried by shaft 284. It will be seen that rotation of the cams I88 and 288 will operate the rod and lever mechanisms associated therewith to effect the simultaneous movement of the slidable members I88, I82 into and out of nailing position and that the operation of these cam means is properly synchronized with the operation of other parts of the machine, including the turret rotating means, to effect the proper timing and sequence of operation.

Box removing means The nailing of the parts of the box at the three nailing stations completes the permanent attachment of the parts of the box. At this time, i. e. after the operation at the third or last nailing station, it is necessary to remove the completed box from the turret head which carries it, and means for effecting this operation are provided by the invention and are disclosed in Figs. 1, 18, 20 and 21 of the drawings.

Referring to these figures, it will be seen that there has been provided, adjacent the nailing station III, a pair of arms 288, 288, the same being pivotally mounted, between their ends, on the opposite ends of a crossbar 281. This crossbar is carried by the upper end of a lever 288 which is pivotally supported at its lower end and which, between its ends, engages the track of a rotatable cam 288 which is carried by the cross-shaft 284. The arms 288, 288 extend outwardly from lever 288 toward the nailing station 111 and nor-- mally are spaced from the turret head which is in that station. A spring 2I8 connects the arms and is arranged to normally urge the free ends of the arms toward each other. Carried by the .free ends of these arms are grasping heads 2I I.

The opposite ends of the arms 288, 288 are tapered inwardly as shown at- 2I2 and the outer surfaces of these ends of the arms are normally urged into engagement with fixed pins 2I2 by the spring 2 I 8. These pins are so positioned that, in the normal, retracted position of the arms they hold the tapered ends of the arms together and hold the free ends of the arms'apart against the tension of spring 2I8.

- In operation, the box removing means is so controlled that whilethe nailing operation is being carried on at station III the grasping ends of arms. 288, 288 are spaced apart and separated from the turret head at such station. 'When the nailing operation is completed, thereby completfirmly engage the box as illustrated in Fig. 21.

Further movement of the cam 288 and lever 288 will cause the entire movable assembly, including arms 288, 288, to move away from the turret head. drawing the box therefrom. As the arms move away item the turret head the pins 2I8 will pass from the tapered portions or the arms, thereby pulling the rear ends of the arms together and forcing the grasping ends apart against the tension of spring 2I8, whereby the finished box will be dropped from the arms onto a conveyor belt or into a receptacle. The provision of the openmg I in the bottom of the turret head prevents the formation of a partial vacuum within the head when the box is removed which, if formed, would prevent the withdrawal of the box from the head.

Operating means The various driving shafts of the machine may be operated by separate prime movers but, preferably, are driven through suitable gearing by a single prime mover. The arrangement and driving connections between the various shafts of the machine are illustrated in Fig. 22 of\the drawings and reference to this figure will be sumcient to indicate a preferred system for driving the various parts of the machine. It is to be understood that the specific driving arrangements disclosed do not limit the invention in any way.

An operating pedal 2I5 is provided and this pedal preferably controls a clutch between the prime mover and the driving shafts of the machine, means being provided for causing the engagement of the clutch upon operation of the pedal.

General operation The-general mode of operation of the machine will be apparent from the foregoing description. In summary, however, it may be pointed out that the box formed by the machine consists of three parts: a blank comprising the end walls and the bottom portion, and two side wall members. The blank is delivered to the blank-forming mechanism illustrated in Fig. 3 as a sheet of paperboard or fiber-board. The blank-forming mechanism scores the blank, performs any necessary or desirable punching or shaping operation thereon, applies glue to the end wall portions, folds the end-wall portions into set-up position, trims of! the lower edges of the outer end wall members and delivers the set-up blank to an elevator .device. Simultaneously, the side wall members are being fed from spaced piles, by means illustrated in Figs. 12 to 15, to a point where they are met by the upwardly-rising elevator on which the set-up blank is positioned. The rising elevator picks up the side wall members and positions these in proper position between the end walls of the set-up blank. At this time, the turret has rotated to place one of the heads thereof above the elevator and aligned with the box members thereon. As the elevator moves upwardly these box members are positioned about the turret head and connected thereto in proper assembled position and relation by temporary attaching means. From this assembly position the turret is now rotated so that the temporarily assembled box is moved to the first nailing station. At the beginning of the movenient of the turret the nailing means at stations I and III were moved out of the path of the turret heads. As the heads now reach a'nailing position and stop there the nailing means are moved back to nailing position, the nailers tripped and the nailing operation which is performed at each station is completed. It will be seen that the temporarily assembled box has now had one end wall connected to the ends of the side walls by the desired number of nails. The nailing mechanisms at stations I and III are now moved out of the, path of the turret heads, the turret is rotated to place each head in the next successive nailing position, and the temporarily assembled box now has the bottom portion of the blank nailed to the two side walls. The nailers are again removed from the paths of the turret heads and the heads are rotated to their next successive positions, the nailing heads then moving back to nailing position andeffecting their usual and respective nailing operations. The temporarily assembled box will now have its second end wall connected to the side wall members and this box is now completely set up and permanently held together. The removing mechanism operates at this time and takes the finished box oiT of the head. The next movement of the head carries it to the assembly point where another group of box members is temporarily assembled thereon.

It will be seen that each of the turret heads will at all times either have a group of box members thereon or will be at the assembly point in order to receive a group of box-forming members, so that at all times all parts of the machine will be operative. It will also be seen that each time that the turret stops, the rod I will be projected through the opening l6l in the adjacent turret arm to hold the turret rigidly in place to provide a firm bearing therefor in order that the nailing operation may be efiected and also insuring that the turret is stopped and held in the proper position.

In the present application I have illustrated and described one form which the machine according to my invention may take. Other forms of construction and modes of operation may be employed for carrying out the operations to be performed, and these will occur to those skilled in the art. All such forms of construction, modes of operation, improvements and new embodiments may be practiced without, in any way, departing from the spirit-and scope of the invention, for the limits of which reference must be had to the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a box-forming machine, means for forming a. blank including the bottom and end wall forming members of a box, means for delivering said blanks to an assembly point, means for delivering side wall forming members'to said assembly point, means for temporarily assembling said blank and side wall forming members into box-like form at saidassembly point, and means operable to move said assembled members to a plurality of successive positions wherein different combinations of said box-forming members are connected together.

2. In a box-forming machine, means for forming a blank including the bottom and 'end wall forming members of a box, means for delivering said blanks to an assembly point, means for delivering side wall forming members to said assembly point, means for temporarily assembling said blank and side wall forming members into box-like form at said assembly point, and means supporting the assembled members and adapted to be rotated to move said assembled members in a circular path to a plurality of successive said blank and side wall forming members into box-like form at said assembly point, and means 1 operable to move said assembled members to a plurality of positions in which difierent' boxiorming members-are presented in a-hori'ao'ntal position wherein they are connected by nailing to other box-forming members.

4. In a box-forming machine, means for forming and setting up a blank to provide bottom and end wall forming members, means for delivering said blanks to an assembly point, means for delivering prepared side wall forming members to said assembly point, means operable at said assembly point to deliver said blank and side wall forming members to a head member on which said blank and side wall members are temporarily assembled in box-forming relation, and means for rotating said head member to a plurality of spaced positions 'in which different combinations of box-forming members are connected together.

5. In a box-forming machine, means for forming and setting up a blank to provide bottom and end wall forming members, means for delivering said blanks to an assembly point, means for delivering prepared side wall forming members to said assembly point, means operable at said assembly pointto deliver said blank and side wall forming members to a head member on which said blank and side wall members are temporarily assembled in box-forming relation, means for rotating said head member to a plurality of spaced positions in which different combinations of box-forming members are presented in vertical relation to each other, and means arranged above each of said positions and operable to nail together the box-forming members so presented.

6. In a box-forming machine, means for forming and setting up a blank to provide bottom and end wall forming members, means for delivering said blanks to an assembly point, means for delivering prepared side wall forming members to said assembly point, means operable at said assembly point to deliver said blank and side wall forming members to a head member on which said blank and side wall members are positioned in box-forming position and relation, means carried by said head member for connecting said assembled box-forming members.

and end wall forming members, means for delivering said blanks to an assembly point, means for delivering prepared side wall forming members to said assembly point, means operable at said assembly point to deliver said blank and side wall forming members to a head member on which said blank and side wall members are temporarily assembled in box-forming relation, means for rotating said head member to a plurality of spaced positions in which diflerent combinations of box-forming members are connected together, and means for locking and rigidly supporting said head member in each of said spaced positions.

8. In a box-forming machine, means for setting up a blank to provide bottom and end wall forming box members, means for delivering said set-up blanks to a vertically movable platform, means for delivering preformed side wall forming members to spaced points in the path of upward movement of said platform and in such position that on upward movement of the platform said side wall forming members will be received on the platform in box-forming relation with said set-up blank, a movable boxcarrying supporting head operable to a position above said platform and in such relation thereto that at the end of the upward movement of the platform the assembled box-forming members thereon will be arranged in box-forming relation about said head, and means for attaching said box-forming members in box-forming relation to said head.

9. In a box-forming machine, box assembling means comprising a vertically movable platform device on which a set-up blank is adapted to be positioned, a pair of spaced guideways extending from a reservoir of side forming members and terminating adjacent to the path of upward movement of said platform and adapted to deliver side wall forming members to said platform, horizontally movable plates forming extensions of the bottoms of said guideways and adapted to receive the side wall forming members when they have been ejected from said guideways, said plates being arranged within the path of upward movement of said platform, and means carried by said platform and operable on upward movement of the platform to move said plates out of the path of movement of said platform and from their supporting relation to said side wall members, whereby said side wall members are received on said platform.

10. In a box-forming machine, box assembling means comprising a vertically movable platform device on which a set-up blank is adapted to be positioned, a pair of spaced guideways extending from a reservoir of side forming members and terminating adjacent to'the path of upward movement of said platform and adapted to deliver side wall forming members to said platform,

horizontally movable plates arranged adjacent the delivery ends of said guideways, and adapted to receive the side wall forming members when they have been ejected from said guideways, resilient means normally urging said plates into positions in which each of them forms an extension of the bottom of one of said guideways and is disposed in the path of upward movement of said platform, means connected to said plates and extending into the path of upward movement of said platform, and means carried by said platform and adapted to engage said lastnamed means on upward movement of the platform to move said last-named means and said plates out of the path of movement of said platform and from their supporting relation to said side wall members, whereby said side wall members are received on said platform.

11. In a box-forming machine, means for forming and setting up a blank to provide bottom and end wall forming members, means for delivering said blanks to an assembly point, means for delivering prepared side wall forming members to said assembly point, means operable at siid assembly point to deliver said blank and side wall forming members to a head member on which said blank and side wall members are temporarily assembled in box-forming relation with the side wall forming members disposed between the end wall members and in engagement with the bottom forming member, means for moving said head member to a first position in which one of the end wall members is connected to each of the side wall members, then to a second position in which the bottom member is connected to each of the side wall members, and to a third position where the second end 

